Don't Play with Me III
by BanishedOne
Summary: A teaser for a second sequel of the 'Don't Play with Me' series.


::

"I dread this, every year.." Came a soft, nervous woman's voice.

"You'll just have to tolerate it, as we do every year.. These people are family," Spoke a stern, masculine voice, the young Head Uchiha still new at the concept of clan leadership. He was trying his hardest to keep things together as they were meant to be.

The head pair walked gracefully into the opening of the Oasis, a small child at their side, his tiny hand clasped nervously by his mother's, as if she were afraid some desert creature might snatch her son up.

A small portion of the Uchiha Clan walked along behind them, some astride horses, while others had already dismounted. A few looked around in awe of the beautiful dessert paradise, certain it was a mirage, while others easily recognized this place, having been here during previous visits.

Instantly upon their arrival, the head Uchiha family were greeted by the leaders of the Crow Clan. The village mystic and elder smiled warmly, her weathered, tan face wrinkling further as she responded to the arrival of her young cousins with high spirits, thankful that they made the trip across the dessert safely. At her side was the young representative of the Uchiha branch of the Crow clan, a frail but lovely young woman with long, raven braids adorned with colorful beads and feathers. She bowed her head to her close cousins, her sightless eyes covered by an intricate wrapping of scarlet material.

In the customary Crow Clan fashion, the two blind leaders lifted their hands to smooth over the faces of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. The young Uchiha pair endured it, however tensely, yet not wanting to offend their close relatives. Once the blind members had greeted them, the Uchiha pair reached out to politely touch the hands of the two sightless women, a greeting that signified that the person acting out this method possessed vision.

At the side of the sightless Crow-Uchiha woman was a tiny girl, perhaps only five years old. She was a small image of her mother, though her eyes twinkled a strong, ebony color, shining with vision that would one day produce crimson sharingan. The child, wanting to conform to her Clan's traditions, approached the boy who stood alongside the Lady Uchiha. She regarded this expressionless boy for a moment, before lifting tiny hands to touch his face.

This boy, however, despite the willingness of his parents to endure these strange traditions, quickly lifted his hands to grab the girl's wrists, and he shoved her hands away, not wanting to be touched.

:: ::

A feeling of awkwardness consumed the woman, and her thin fingers tightened around the blankets, pulling them up to cover herself as if she may die from even the slightest exposure. The mattress beneath her was comfortable, yet her entire frame was stiff, and for a moment she kept her head down, dark tresses falling into her face.

It was dark, one single candle burning, flickering, soon to die out. The entire room seemed bathed in shadow, though the private world between the two present was illuminated a dull orangy-red, just enough for them both to see well enough.

The woman lifted her charcoal-colored eyes, barely looking at the man who perched at the edge of her bed. The details of his flesh were difficult to make out in the dim light, though his silhouette was plain to see as he hunched down slightly, his own head forward as he did not even attempt to hold it up. His body appeared heavy, something weighing him down, and plaguing his mind, and Kaiko couldn't help but think it was all her fault.

"..It's alright.." She put on a small, fake smile through her words, her tone the usual sweet and polite, even if it masked her true feelings. "..I never expected things to work out between us.."

:: ::

He supposed that he lived his life for complication; He had toyed with his own younger brother for so long, if only to get to the truth of Sasuke's feelings. But he continued to alienate those he cared about, putting every person he knew on a string to be danced about, taking only what he wanted, while giving back empty promises and empty hopes.

Who was he to treat people like less than human? Who was he to be so guiltlessly selfish?

He wanted to leave this place; It was likely that he would find some nook in which to seclude himself, even from his beloved Sasuke, sure that he was sick enough in the head to harm his younger sibling again, if given the correct opportunity.

But upon turning a corner, he came face-to-face with Akemi, who stared up at his father with apathetic, black eyes, and a cold expression. It was ghostly, Itachi found, like looking down at a small version of himself, who gazed up in contempt and disgust. (Itachi considered that he probably gave his own father this same look once or twice.)

He sighed, speaking a question he thought he would never have to ask again. "Akemi.. Do you hate me?"

:: ::

The younger male wasn't used to seeing his brother so distraught. It confused him, in a way, and almost left him to wonder if this man in front of him really was Itachi anymore. After spending such a large portion of his life only worrying about himself and his own losses, it was difficult for the younger Uchiha to even sympathize. But how could he when he didn't understand the pain Itachi was feeling, and would never have that chance, either?

(Some part of him was still jealous. Sasuke had given up any thoughts of family, all for Itachi, while the elder began a family for himself, splitting his love and attention between Sasuke and his children.)

At the same time, Sasuke was trying to help console his older brother; He was attempting to be completely selfless in his suggestion to Itachi, but the heir found only insult in Sasuke's plea.

This much was shown in how the older male's brows knitted together softly, his dark eyes staring in a way that felt unusually cold. "Another child won't replace him..The only way for the pain to be relieved is for us both to find some comfort in the fact that Akemi is still alive.."

The heir had a completely opposite standpoint, thinking that Sasuke's request was shallow, and possibly even resentful, or out of mockery. Here Itachi was trying to prove that his loyalties were to nobody but Sasuke, his love belonging to nobody else but him, yet Sasuke asked something so thoughtless of his brother.

But Itachi's words struck a chord with the younger male, suddenly feeling more personal than ever. Sasuke didn't know if it was unusual that he related to Haru, who now laid dead in the ground, but he didn't analyze it, he just acted on it. "I suppose that is what our father would have said if I had died... 'Sasuke may be gone, but at least we still have Itachi. He's most important anyway."

There truly were no words that the older male could even register in response to what his brother was saying; None that were very good, at least. His abyssal optics had widened in shock- He hadn't thought Sasuke would say something so foolish (so heartless), not in a million years. With a shake of his head, Itachi turned his back on Sasuke, and marched from the room, no longer wanting to be in his brother's company.

:: ::

Perched atop the wall that hid the oasis, and tucked secretively beneath an obscuring overgrowth of thorny, dessert vegetation, both brothers looked out at the never-ending stretch of sand, their dark eyes glaring in the direction of a stray group of shinobi that had wandered much too close.

This group appeared to be scouting, looking for something, and it caused a tremor to move simultaneously through both Uchiha, the pair wise enough to come up with a similar assumption as to why these people had come. The younger of the two still feigned ignorance, hoping that Itachi would tell him that those shinobi were here for a reason -other- than the one Sasuke had in mind. "Who are those people off in the distance?"

Itachi's voice came out soft and grim as he stared into the distance at the approaching threat, all too aware that his hands would once again have to become tools for bloodshed, no matter how he hated this idea. "..People who want to start trouble.."

::

He would not lie to these people, even if this revelation would break the peace of the oasis, and the peaceful nature of the Crow Cran. Itachi was willing to give himself over to the killer inside, to let himself take life again, to protect this place. He wished that he could handle this alone, but he felt certain that he could not.

In a smooth, but foreboding tone, Itachi spoke nothing less than truth to the people who had allowed him to live as one of them. "They're coming to take the oasis, and push all of us out. They're coming to take the rightful home of the Crow Clan away.."

With his sorrow and sincerity apparent, the Uchiha heir uttered the most difficult question to his peaceful new family. "We have no choice but to fight if we wish to protect this place.. Who among you will help me?"

::

/..DPWMIII../

::

Author's Note: This is a simple proposal; I'm offering a slight glimpse into a possible plot for a DPWMIII, and all I want is your opinions. Feedback is vital for me to get the right message about what my reader's REALLY want, so please review. I'd like to get your thoughts, but even a simple yes or no to this idea would suffice. If this becomes a project that I take on, it means yet another story for me to focus on updating, which will cause my other updates to slow down. BUT, this offers further variation in the types of stories I'm offering, this one being a 'sort of' side-plot breaking off from an old classic. (That people still seem to love, despite how outdated it is.)

So, would this be interesting, or would it take away from the finality of DPWMII's ending? You tell me. =)

Also, I'm sorry if there are stupid mistakes. I wrote this quickly, and it wasn't checked over by my beta. Sorry! xD


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